Berlin [Germany], August 5 (HBTV): European scientists have identified a previously unknown species of marine lizard from the Jurassic era, after re-examining fossils discovered in 1978 in the city of Holzmaden in southern Germany. The findings were published on August 4 in the scientific journal PeerJ.

The researchers revealed that the fossils belong to a new species of plesiosaur—an extinct marine reptile—marking the first detailed osteological analysis of the specimen. ‘We present the first detailed osteological description of the species, rethinking some osteological features ... and evaluating its taxonomic significance and phylogenetic relationship. We show that this species of plesiosaur has an unusual combination of features, the appearance of which is not significantly affected by ontogenetic development,’ the study stated.

Previous examinations of the fossil had been brief and inconclusive, with scientists failing to distinguish it from already known plesiosaur species.

According to the study, the specimen measures 3.2 metres in length and represents the oldest known plesiosaur from the Holzmaden region. It expands both the known diversity of plesiosaurs and the broader understanding of biodiversity in the Posidonia shale, a geological formation that remains only partially explored.

‘[This species] is the oldest known specimen of a plesiosaur from the Holzmaden area, expanding our understanding of plesiosaur diversity, but also contributing to broader knowledge about the biodiversity present in the Posidonium shale, which is still not fully known,’ the study concluded.

Separately, on July 26, scientists in the United States announced the discovery of a new dinosaur species named Enigmacursor. The dinosaur, comparable in size to a Labrador, stood 64 cm tall and measured 180 cm in length. A specimen of Enigmacursor will be exhibited at the Natural History Museum in London for the first time since 2014.

(ANI/Izvestia)